Adventures in life, literature and (the City of Brotherly) love

Menu

Dating (is) for the Dogs

I’ve been reading, writing and reviewing my brains out for the past 48 hours (thankfully being a dance critic is way more fun than being a book critic because as a dance critic, people are nice to you and give you free wine. You get free tickets too, which is of course the entire point, but priorities are priorities and I’ve always loved the taste of free wine— especially free wine consumed amongst wealthy patrons of the arts).

But let’s get back to the real reason we’re all here this morning: it’s not reading, it’s not writing and it’s certainly not reviewing—it’s dating. Unfortunately, there’s not much to say about long distance limbo dating of the laissez faire variety: he called me; I called him. He texted me; I texted him but I’m twitterpated, for better or worse, so even though I’m not actively dating Date #7, I’m also not actively dating anyone else.

We’re putting our half-baked Tuscan villa plans on hold until we’re both in a position to actually go to Tuscany (which won’t be any time soon thanks to my teaching schedule) and focusing instead on the planning of our second date. (Date #7 isn’t much a planner and patience is a virtue I’m definitely lacking but I know this much: it’s going to take place in Pittsburgh, and it’s going to include a visit to someplace I’ve always wanted to see.)

So, onto today’s topic, shall we?

I have to thank Date #6 for this one. Last week he sent me an email to tell me he had a “great” idea for my blog and I’ve got to hand it to him: it’s a good one.

Date #6, you see, has a bit of a dilemma. He’s gone on plenty of dates with plenty of women and he’s gotten numerous invitations to “come up for a quick drink” but this, without fail, is the point at which disaster strikes.

Date #6, you see, has a dog.

And this dog has to be let out.

What’s a poor guy to do? Ditch the date to take care of the dog or ditch the dog to… you know… “take care” of the date?

I have to admit, one of the first things struck me about Date #6’s profile was his dog. If you’re a guy and you’re online profile does not include a picture of a dog, you’re making a big mistake. It doesn’t have to be your dog, mind you, but dogs are instant chick magnets (as proven by my initial attraction to Date #6 last summer) so if you don’t have one, you need to borrow one. (Just don’t go all Hugh Grant in About a Boy because if you’re not a handsome, rich Englishman, there’s no way you’ll get away with it.)

Anyhow, Date #6 suggested that this is a problem faced by single dog-loving men and women around the world over and that my readers might have some advice. So, you’re turn: do you have a dog? And if so, what do you do about said dog when the inevitable “come up for a drink” invitation is issued? Does having a dog help or hinder your love life? Last but not least, have you ever lied about having a dog and if so, what it to get out of an awkward situation or to get into one?

PS: If you watch the following and don’t laugh, you are very cold-hearted human being.

10 thoughts on “Dating (is) for the Dogs”

If they HAVE a dog, they should put it in their profile! If they don’t, they should NOT borrow one. Dogs are only chick-magnets if the chick in question is a dog person! :) Anyway, I hope your other readers can come up with some advice for #6.

One can ask a trusted friend/neighbor to go take the dog out for you. When we had a dog we always made sure we had a back-up plan if we were going to come home late. We didn’t want any unpleasant gifts from our dog and didn’t want him to suffer either.

I have the dogs part time, but it gets more complicated as they come with kids attached, or is that the kids come with dogs attached.
Anyway the combination of the two makes dating a real challenge. The dogs are a real plus. In fact I have been asked if they can just continue seing the dogs, and not really bothered about me.

I can well imagine! You might enjoy the book “Dating for Dads” by Ellie Slott Fisher– granted, not being a dad myself I’ve never read it, bet Ellie’s really cool :)http://elliefisher.com/ellieblog/books/ (PS: When I broke up with the guy I was dating my senior year of college, one of the HARDEST parts was saying goodbye to his dog. He had the cutest boxer in the world. I wish I could have gotten visitation rights…)

I only very recently was allowed to get a dog. I actually didn’t think that my boyfriend’s mom would go for it (seeing as how we are living in her house, technically she’s the landlord and has say in such a matter). I went through this whole process of researching how much a dog would cost and which are the best breeds to bring into a house with cats (I have three). Once my research was done, I built a ‘dog proposal’ including changes in my life that would have to be made and what I would be looking at cost-wise. There was a chart and everything.

So Adam went to approach the subject with his mom. And she said yes. Never even asked to look at the dog proposal. So there you go…

In response to your question though, since I live with my boyfriend we don’t run into that awkward moment of “inviting up for a drink” but the dog does put a bit of a damper on extracurricular activities. For one, things are always done in the bedroom where there is a door to close. Secondly, Ranger (my pooch) needs to be locked up in his crate or he whines at the door–definite mood killer. Then there is always the fact that if things get a little on the loud side, Ranger freaks out because he assumes I’m in trouble. That usually just makes us laugh.

If Adam and I are coming back from a date, depending on how long we were gone I’ll take the dog out first. It is hard to concentrate on your love when you’re busy worrying that the dog is going to make a mess. Ranger can kill the mood, especially when he looks at me with big puppy dog eyes and begs to be played with. He’s a very cute puppy…there are a ton of pictures on my facebook, you should take a look. :)